Igniting device for explosive-engines.



W. J. MARTIN.

IGNITING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGlNES.

APPLICATION FILED' APR. 22, I915.

Patentd Nov. 23, 1915.

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6 9 A m m fi I ,3 H w W 7 5 w 5 ma I WILLIAM J. MARTIN, OF BUFFALO, NEW

1 YORK. ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM MOINTYRE, F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IGNITING DEVICE FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rat-vented Nov. 23, 1915.

Application filed April 22, 1915. Serial No. 23,194.

duced by an electric current jumping a gap between two electrodes, this type of igniting device being common in explosive engines used on automobiles.

The primary object of my invention is the production of an igniting device of this type provided with a. plurality of sparkplugs arranged so that any of the plurality may be placed in operative position, and when. rendered ineliicient may quickly be replaced with another.

Another object is the provision ofan igniting device having a spark-plug carrier movably positioned with one of a plurality of spark plugs in operative relation to the explosive chamber of an engine.

Another object is'the provision of a casing adapted to be secured to the engine and having a firing chamber or opening, and a plurality of spark plugs within said casing movable into and out of operative relation to said firing chamber or opening.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device'of this character in which 7 spar; plugs may be quickly and conveniently introduced and movably positioned so that any one may, at any time, be placed within an electric circuit while the remaining spark plug or plugs are positioned outside of said circuit.

Further objects are to provide a carrier having spark plugs yieldingly mounted therein, the carrier being adjustable to positime any one' of the spark plugs so as to cause explosion of gas within an engine and also to prevent the escape of gas from the engine; and to otherwise improve on ignit ing devices now in use.

To these ends the invention consists in a plurality of spark plugs or other igniting means mounted so thatthey may be successively v or otherwise moved into operative relation to the explosive chamber of an engine.

It further consists in a casing secured to an engine having a firing chamber or openlng communicating with the explosive chamber of the engine and a plurality of spark plugs or other igniting means movably mounted within said casing and adapted to be moved so that any one of the plurality may be placed into operative relation to said firing chamber or opening.

It further consists in the novel features of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the subjoined claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved igniting device threaded into a cylinder of an engine, the latter being shown in longitudinal section. Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken on line 33, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detached perspective view of the current-conducting bridge member and one of its supports. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the other support to which the currentconducting bridge member is adapted to be connected, said support being broken away from the casing of which it forms part.

Reference being had to the drawings in detail, similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several figures.

The reference numeral 6 designates the cylinder of an engine, the upper portion 7 of which may be termed the-explosive chamber of said cylinder, and 8 designatesmyiim proved igniting device secured to the cylin der. preferably threaded thereto, as shown in Fig. 1.

While this device may be. constructed in various ways and given afshape other than herein shown, I preferably provide-a cylin: drical easingQ-closed at the bottom, as at 10, and provided with a depending sleeve 11 arranged at one side of the axis of said casing. Said sleeve has an internal flange 12 at its upper end and is externally threaded, as at 13, for entrance into a. tapped opening 14 in the cylinder. If. desired, the sleevell may be faced with a lining 15 of insulating material. the .upper or inner end of which maybe curved inwardlv to provide an internal flange 16 adapted to rest against the underside of the flange 12. The upper end of the casing 9 is open and at opposite points has two upstanding supporting arms 17' provided with notches 18 extending inwardly from one of the edges of said arms, the notches being faced with insulating material 19 which is extended around the opposite sides of said arms, as at 20. Arranged axially within the casing 9 is a spindle or Sten121 which may be fastened into the bottom of said casing. Said stem is enlarged at its lower end directly within the casing to providean'upwardly facing shoulder 22, and rotatably mounted on said stem is a carrier 23 in the form of a barrel having a plurality of cylindrical passages 2+1- formed therein, the passages extending entircly through the barrel and being spaced equi-distantly around the same. Although I have shown four such passages in the barrel, more or less may be provided, as may be desired; a plurality, however, is essential to gain any advantage under the principle involved. The upper end of the stem on which the barrel 23 is rotatably mounted is reduced in diameter to provide an upwardly facing shoulder 25, the reduced upper end of said stem being threaded for application thereto of a nut 26. The shoulders 22 and 25 of the stem are sopositioned relative to each other that the barrel is held to the stem in a secure manner without binding the Same,.thereby allowing it freedom in movement. I

Positioned within each of the passages 24: is an igniting member, preferably a spark plug 27 each spark plug comprising, in preferred form, a sleeve. or outer member 28 and a plug or inner member 29. The sleeve or outer member has an annular flange 30 at its lower end which is rounded or beveled, as at 31, and the flange 12 at the upper or inner end of the sleeve 11 is correspondingly formed to receive said curved or beveled flange and serve as a seat for the same. Owing to-these sleeves having flanges at their lower ends, they are introduced into the barrel 23 from the lower end thereof, the flanges 30 being normally held against the underside 'or surface of the barrel. The upper ends of said sleeves project a distance above the upper face of the barrel and are surrounded by expansion springs 32 which bear with, their lower ends against the upper side of the barrel, and with their upper. ends against nuts 33 threaded onto-the upper extremities of said sleeves, the springs serving to hold said sleeves or outer members elevated with the flanges at their lower ends in contact with the 'underside of the barrel.

Each sleeve has a spark point or terminal 34 suitably fastened or formed on its lower end. The plugs or inner members are fitted snugly within the sleeves or outer members and each is formed with anoutstanding flange 35 at its upper end. Said flanges bear against the upper ends of the sleeves or outer members of the plugs and also against the nuts 33, thus limiting the inward movement of the plugs. These plugs are constructed of insulating material, and by experiment I have found mica to be most eilicctive for this purpose, since it obviates all tendency to crack; consequently, does not accumulate carbon deposits as is the case with spark plugs construmed of porcelain.

Each spark plug has a current conductor extending from its upper end to its lower end, and in 'this particular instance I have shown a wire 36 of suitable material extendin axially through the plug, the wire being on arged at its upper end or otherwise provided with a bearing or contact head 37, for a purpose to appear hereinafter, and the lower end terminates in a spark point or terminal 38. The spark )oints or terminals 53$, 38 may be formed of material other than that from which they extend and any medium, or elements, capable of creating a. spark at the point where such terminals are located are to be considered as fully within the scope of my invention.

Extending from one of the supporting arms 17 to the other is a current-conducting bridge member 39 provided at its ends with notches 40. In preferred form this bridge member is as wide as the supporting arms 17, and the notches of the latter receive portions of the bridge member in line therewith while the notches of the bridge member re ceive the insulation faced portions of the armsl'f. In this manner the bridge member may be easily detached from the supporting arms so that the spark plug carrier may be removed from its containing casing, and as the current is to be carried through said bridge member it is efi'ectively insulated from the casing, also fro tn the spark points or terminals 38 which are in electrical con nection with said casing. Between the ends of said bridge member, a screw stud '41 is positioned, said stud serving as a binding screw and having a nut 42 threaded thereonto, between which nut and the bridge member the circuit wire 43 is secured. A pressure screw 44 is threaded through the bridge member between said binding screw and one'of its supporting arms, said pressure screw being adapted to bear against the enlargement or head of the wire passed through the plug or inner memborof the cal connection therewith.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the casing is grounded; this being usually done in automobiles by attaching one of the circuit wires to the engine. By threading the sparking device into the enginethc device is grounded through the medium of the engine. In this manner the current'passes from its source by the pressure screws the terminals 34, 38 thereof are positioned enthrough the Wire 43 to the bridge member 39, from the latter through the pressure screw 4A and the plug or inner member of the spark plug directly beneath, pressure being exerted against said plug or inner member by threading said pressure screw well into the bridge member. comes the action of the spring surrounding said sleeve or outer member and forces the entire. spark plug downwardly until the flange of its sleeve or outer member is securely seated against the bottom of thecasing 9, in this particular instance, against the collar at the upper end of the sleeve 11, thus preventing escape of gas from the engine into the casing. Ihe current passes down through the wire arranged axially in the plug or inner member and jumps from the spark point or terminal 38 at its lower end to. the spark point or terminal 34 at the lower end of the sleeve, creating the necessary spark to ignite the gas or explosive mixture rising into the sleeve 11 from the igni-' tion chamber of the engine, thusexploding the gas and causing operation of the engine. From the point or terminal 34 the current passes along the lower end of the sleeve or outer member of the spark-plug, through the casing 9 and from the easing into the engine, the current passing from the engine to a return wire connected to the source of current. It for any reason the spark plug positioned in operative relation to the explosive chamber of the engine fails to spark, it is simply necessary to loosen the pressure screw 44, during which action the spring 32 surrounding the spark-plug causes the latter to rise in the barrel or carrier 23, thus moving the plug clear of the sleeve 11 and bringing the spark points or terminals 34 and 38 entirely within the casing. It is to be noted that when the spark-plugs are not depressed spark points or tirely above the bottom of ,the casing and are free to move unobstructedly within the casing when rotating the carrier or barrel; consequently, when the pressure screw is elevated, the barrel may be rotated to bring another plug in line with the pressure screw and with the sleeve 11, and after lowering the pressure screw the plug is seated against its seat in the bottom of the casing and placed in the electric circuit so that upon rotation of a timer or distributer, common in the art for controlling sparking, the engine to which the igniting device is attached is caused to operate. It isalso to be noted that the spark plugs held in inoperate position are not in the electric circuit and are only included in the electric circuit when positioned-v between the pressure screw 42 and the sleeve 11.

In :order to hold the barrel or carrier in ad nsted I position,

This over- ,of its edges and having also it has a plurality of notches 45, corresponding in number to the number of plugs within the barrel or carrier, and entering one of these notches 1s a locking device 46 in the form of a springpressed leyer having an inwardly bent too or extension l? at one extremity adapted to pass through an opening l8 in the casing in line with one of said notches. It is therefore necessary that the locking device be actuated to release the barrel before moving another spark plug into operative position.

\Vhere in the specification and in the following claims the term igniting members is employed, it is intended to mean any dehaving a sleeve at its lower end, a carrier.

movable within said casing, a plurality of spark plugs carried by said carrier and normally positioned in a plane above said sleeve, and means for depressing any one of said spark plugs so that its lower end enters said sleeve.

2. An igniting device comprising a casing adapted to, be threaded into an engine, a carrier-movable within said casing, and a plurality of spark plugs carried by said. carrier, each spark plug comprising an outer member adapted to be brought into electrical and physical contact with said casing, and an inner member, and electrical connection with said inner member.

3. An igniting device comprising a casing having a pair of upstanding supporting arms, a bridge member spanning said supporting arms and insulated therefrom, a current conductor connected to said bridge member, a pressure device on said bridge member, a rotatable carrier within said casing, and a plurality of spark plugs carried by said carrier, anyone of said spark plugs being adapted to be depressed by said pressure device so as to place the same into electrical connection with an engine and into operative relation to the explosive chamber of the engine.

4. An igniting device comprising a casing having a pair of upstanding arms, each arm having a notch extending inwardly from one insulating material lining said notch, abridge member spanning said supporting arms and entered into the notches thereof, a pressure screw passed through said bridge. member, a rotatable carrier within said casing, spark plugs within said carrier, and means for holding said spark plugs yieldingly elevated, the spark plug beneath said pressure screw being adapted to be depressed by the latter and be placed into operative relation to the explosive chamber of an engine, said pressure screw serving as a current conducting medium. v

5. An igniting device comprising a casing having a sleeve extending from its bottom opening into the interior of said casing, a stem arranged axially within said casing, a barrel rotatably mounted on said stem, a plurality of spark plugs carried by saidbar rel, springs holding said spark plugs'normally elevated, and a pressure device adaptedto move the spark plug in line therewith against the bottom of said casing with the terminals thereof entered into said sleeve,

Staples as this patent may be obtained for said pressure .screw serving as a current conductor.

6. The combination of a casing closed at its lower end and having a sleeve extending outwardly from its bottom, a carrier movably mounted within said casing a plurality [of spark plugs carried by said carrier, any one of which is adapted to be moved into alinement with said sleeve, means for seating the lower end of the spark plug in line with said sleeve firmly against the bottom of said casing and causing the terminals of said plug to enter said sleeve, and means for causing a current to be passed through said spark plug to cause a spark to be formed between said terminals.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature.

WILLIAM J. MARTIN.

Washington. D. C. 

